Dan Gurney, the Renaissance Man of American racing, died at the age of 86

Dan Gurney, one of the greatest legends of the American motorsport, has died on Sunday, January 14, at the age 86. He passed away due to complications from pneumonia, a family said.

The world of racing lost a man who achieved fantastic success in all sorts of racing, from early days in stock car racing to world-known wins in Formula 1 and Le Mans 24 Hours. He was also a successful team owner, running the Anglo American Racers team in the 1960s. He established a team together with another American legend Carroll Shelby.

Gurney was the first man in a history of motorsport to win races in sports cars, open-wheel cars (F1 and IndyCar) and NASCAR. He won four Formula 1 Grand Prix races from 86 starts between 1959 and 1970. At Le Mans 24 Hours, he won together with AJ Foyt in 1967. After that Le Mans victory, he set a tradition of spraying champagne on a podium.